I was driving my 1998 Jeep Cherokee 4.0L down the highway today around 65-70 miles per hour on my way to Boston, MA when I began to hear some faint ticking. The ticking began getting worse and before I know it I was losing power in the engine. I decided to pull off the next exit and the moment I did I lost the engine completely. When I came to a stop I realized then the engine overheated and was smoking pretty bad.

Keep in mind, MY GUAGES DO NOT WORK. Therefor I had no idea it was heating up. Regardless I had it towed and began checking the engine over

I found that the cooling fan does not work, I jumped it straight from the battery and no movement whatsoever. Also, checking the coolant it was completely empty except for the reservoir which was now a dark mud color instead of lime green. I pulled the spark plugs and all were good except for Cylinder #1, which was no longer gapped and it was soaked in gas whereas the others were dry and proper.

My guess is a blown head gasket? The oil seems undisturbed, no antifreeze in it whatsoever.

Any ideas? I won't be able to break into the engine until tomorrow.

Also, besides the gauges not working she ran like a top before this incident.

:cheers2:

Mywrangler94

07-05-2013 05:57 PM

you have no compression in #1 cylinder? I am thinking a good educated guess, would be to call a priest and put that powerplant to rest. The ticking could have been a myriad of things that caused the overheat. Sounds like a stuck valve, which would explain the ticking. If I've seen one, I've seen a hundred where No. 1 cylinder is dead. That's because it's always the one starved for oil. The way the block sits in the engine bay is tilted backwards, therefore No.1 always gets jipped of oil. Thats why its important to keep it full and changed regularly. Let us know what you find.

jeepkid03

07-05-2013 06:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mywrangler94

you have no compression in #1 cylinder? I am thinking a good educated guess, would be to call a priest and put that powerplant to rest. The ticking could have been a myriad of things that caused the overheat. Sounds like a stuck valve, which would explain the ticking. If I've seen one, I've seen a hundred where No. 1 cylinder is dead. That's because it's always the one starved for oil. The way the block sits in the engine bay is tilted backwards, therefore No.1 always gets jipped of oil. Thats why its important to keep it full and changed regularly. Let us know what you find.

How would the #1 cylinder get starved of oil? Unless the oil level was so low that the pickup tube wasn't sucking up any oil, it should get the same amount of oil as the other cylinders being a pressure lubed system.

Mywrangler94

07-05-2013 07:08 PM

well, if you take a look at your engine in your engine bay, notice the engine tilts backwards. Does water roll uphill? Physics don't change in a Jeep. Its the highest point of the head. Hence, the oil tends to run down quicker, its not a flaw, just how it is. Which is why I say, to change your oil when your supposed to and to use what your supposed to. And, if you didn't know, No.6, every now and then, tends to blow the skirt off the piston. Which has happened to me once and to 2 of my customers. In any event, thats from my friends at Chrysler, I didn't make it up. Did that answer your question?

djb383

07-05-2013 08:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jeepkid03
(Post 15644802)

How would the #1 cylinder get starved of oil? Unless the oil level was so low that the pickup tube wasn't sucking up any oil, it should get the same amount of oil as the other cylinders being a pressure lubed system.

This^^^^^^^exactly, it's a pressurized lubrication system. What rear wheel drive vehicle is the front of the motor NOT higher than the rear?:dunno:

Jeeperez

07-06-2013 05:43 AM

I'm pretty sure the tilting of the engine isn't starving Piston 1 of oil or else it would have been designed differently.

This engine was upkept and ran like a champ before overheating caused this problem. Regular oil changes has nothing to do with it. I'm sure if I was able to watch my temp gauge I would have caught it on time and I wouldn't be tearing into the motor. I think a combination of low antifreeze, a nonworking cooling fan, no fan shroud, an aging cooling system and the fact that the heat index was over 100 degrees is the cause

I'll be ripping apart the motor today and keep you guys updated.
What a way to spend my birthday weekend :thumbdown:

The piston is missing pieces on the side. Would overheating cause this???

Jeeperez

07-07-2013 05:24 AM

Bump.

Anyone care to chime in?

AZ Jeff

07-07-2013 10:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeeperez
(Post 15649367)

Bump.

Anyone care to chime in?

Yes. Severe overheating can lead to detonation. Detonation can literally knock chunks out of the edge of the piston. I had this happen to me on a Ford 2.3L four cylinder.

If you lower the piston, you will probably see where the combustion gases may even be flame cutting the side wall of the cylinder.

Diamond-x

07-07-2013 01:50 PM

What does the head look like?

Jeeperez

07-09-2013 04:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Diamond-x
(Post 15650676)

What does the head look like?

The head looks OK but I was considering taking it to a machine shop just to make sure it is good. How much would refinishing a head run me roughly?

The dealer wants $194.00 for a single cylinder.. and doesn't include the ring. Autozone has a set of 6 with rings for $122.00. Does anyone know if it will be an exact fit?

98muddyjeep

07-09-2013 04:57 PM

Always get the head machined after its pulled off,the head can have the slightest warp in it and can cause head gasket failure very quick,plus it will give you an idea if there are any cracks.I would try rockauto.com for parts way better than AutoZone plus much cheaper.

poppyseed

07-10-2013 12:07 PM

not worth a rebuild trust me, it will never run right again

98muddyjeep

07-10-2013 04:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by poppyseed
(Post 15662286)

not worth a rebuild trust me, it will never run right again

A good and done right rebuild should run perfectly fine,but the key words are done right.